Calls for independent review as police probe if cannibalism involved in four-year-old’s alleged murder

A woman has been remanded in custody and charged with murder after the body of a four-year-old was found in a central Coast home on Saturday. Photograph: Ronnie Amini/AAP View image in fullscreen A woman has been remanded in custody and charged with murder after the body of a four-year-old was found in a central Coast home on Saturday. Photograph: Ronnie Amini/AAP Calls for independent review as police probe if cannibalism involved in four-year-old’s alleged murder Police charge woman with murder after the body of a preschooler was found in a Central Coast home on Saturday The NSW opposition is demanding an independent review after it was confirmed the family of a four-year-old who was allegedly murdered was known to the department in charge of child protection. A woman has been remanded in custody and was on Sunday charged with murder after police found the body of a preschooler at a home on the New South Wales Central Coast. The department of communities and justice (DCJ) confirmed it had “previous contact with the family” and was “currently examining all relevant records and information relating to this matter” in the wake of the child’s body being found. Police said they rushed to the home at Wyong after a 32-year-old woman presented to the local police station on Saturday. The body of the child, believed to be a four-year-old boy, was found inside the home he shared with the woman late in the afternoon with significant arm injuries. It’s understood police are investigating if cannibalism was involved in the incident. Tuggerah Lakes police district commander, Supt Chad Gillies, told reporters on Sunday morning that the woman was known to police. He said police and paramedics faced what was an “extremely confronting scene” for even the most experienced of officers. On Monday morning, the state opposition released a statement calling for an independent review into the department’s contact with the family as “horrific details emerge”. “My thoughts are with the child’s family, loved ones and everyone in the community affected by this unimaginable loss. This is a heartbreaking tragedy,” said the shadow minister for families and communities, Natasha Maclaren-Jones. “This unthinkable tragedy is unfortunately not the first case where this government has failed to protect our most vulnerable children, in the last year alone. “The government knows there are workforce shortages, overwhelming caseloads, and gaps in early intervention, this case raises serious concerns, and an independent investigation must be conducted.” The NSW government announced last year it was undertaking major reforms to the child protection and out-of-home care system. A damning 2024 audit found the state was failing tens of thousands of vulnerable children due to an “ineffective” and “unsustainable” child protection system. The DCJ confirmed in a statement that it was examining its contact with the family and extended its deepest sympathies to the child’s family, loved ones and